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Women's Fiction
The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale

List Price: $16.95
Your Price: $16.95
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Technically brilliant
Review: Atwood successfully combines all the elements needed to make a novel worthwhile, great. The structure and plot content complement each other, with the jumbled up paragraphs, seemingly randomly combined, imitating the thoughts going through Offred's mind. The switching between eras also emphasises Offred's thought patterns, her mind drifting between memories. Atwood also uses language, symbolism and detail extraordinarily effectively. all in all, she presents a believable account of the future, linking the Republic of Gilead to Muslim societies and to Nazi Germany and extending modern ideas and opinions, showing how they can be distorted. I've thoroughly enjoyed studying it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Memoir
Review: I really enjoyed this novel. But, if you aren't able to enjoy non-linear narratives, don't read this book. In this memoir of a woman living in the not-too-distant future. A time where the Christian right rules. The Handmaid (Offred) is basically leased to a high-ranking family for the use of her reproductive system. I really enjoyed how the parallel between the religious society in the story with fundamentalist muslim religion. Those who don't believe that the Handmaid's Tale could ever happen, fail to see it happening today in many places throughout the world - Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc. I think that readers really miss the point when they get stuck on the fact that this story takes place in the future. Keeping in mind that in some countries, women are not allowed to own realty, have bank accounts, must cover their heads and faces, cannot go out in public without a male escort, are not allowed to drive, and cannot become educated or become employed outside of the home, I was reminded of how greatful I should be that I do not live in a country where I would be a handmaid, wife, aunt, or domestic.

As like in real life, the characters in this story are all so real; everyone has an agenda, has something to hide, yearns for personal contact, status, and power. It is women who are used to control women and men still break the rules that they themselves created. Humanbeings will risk their lives to fulfill their desires.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: extreamly boring
Review: the plot was never revealed, and you can get easily confused because the narrater switches back and forth between charecters. Also, she keeps remebering a lover of hers that was already married to another woman. i would defentally NOT recomend this book to ANYONE!!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: 'recommend it to readers who enjoy using their imagination'
Review: This book was an amazing insight of what may happen to us in the future. I am studying this book for my A-level and have to write an essay contrasting with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein which should be interesting! I definately recomend it to readers who enjoy using their imagination, no doubt I am sure to read another book by this inspiring author.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very interesting. It will make you think!
Review: This book was very good but I wish it would have told what happened to Offred at the end. If she found her daughter or Luke. It made me think hard and long. I didn't understand some of it. Like the date. It sounded like a true story but the date was 2025 or something like that. Is this what she thinks the future will be like? I don't understand but it was very good. I couldn't put the book down. I wanted to read it forever. I would like to read some more like it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: An okay read, but not one of the indispensables
Review: Atwood is good with words, but doesn't handle ideas quite as well; not a combination that augurs well for a dystopia in a century which has already produced some of the best. This would have made a fine piece of historical fiction -- the purported diary of a young Roman or medieval woman, for example -- but doesn't work (for me at least) as a cautionary tale about the future or commentary on our own times. If the concluding "notes" were intended to mock the insufferable superficialities of academic conferences, Atwood gets full marks there.

From the little I've read of her books and poetry, I sense that Atwood's one major flaw is that she trips over her own cleverness.This isn't a bad book, but I wouldn't call it a must-read.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An excellent, exciting book for anyone.
Review: This book was awesome. I think it would be good for anyone, especially those people who don't like the way our society is headed right now. I felt it was very realistic in how it portrayed the future; even a little scary maybe. The way Atwood wrote her review added to the mood of the book as well, because it was so simple, yet devoted to the senses. It was the kind of book that I could not put down, and always wanted to read more of to find out what was going to happen. This book was even better after we did some research on it for my English class, because there were many small details that related to current issues. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, because I know I really liked it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent, I couldn't put it down!
Review: Reading has never been a favorite past time of mine, but every once in a while, I'll read a book that really draws me in. This book was on my AP English summer reading list and happened to be the first one I decided to read. Once I started reading I was hooked. I loved the way that this society, although extremely different from the society that we live in, started out just like ours. The irony of it is, that Atwood based this book on historical fact. We could end up like the Republic of Gilead. Hopefully, that won't happen. This book was the most unique portrayal of the future that I've ever been exposed to. I would recommend it to anyone who likes to think about what the future holds. Read it, it really makes you think.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A plausibly realistic and gripping novel
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book and believe that Margaret Eleanor Atwood is a superb writer. I think the reason I got so involved with the storyline is because of the use of sensory details and images that were evoked. I recommend this novel to anyone who wants a shockingly believable insight on the way perhaps existing societies live.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This book totally blew me away
Review: It has been several years since our book club read "The Handmaid's Tale". All I can say is that it has stood out in my mind as one the most frightening and riveting books I have ever read. The story is both far fetched and yet believable. Ms. Adwood's work is superb!!!!


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